Turkey detains Istanbul mayor, Erdogan's main rival

Turkish police detained Istanbul's powerful Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu Wednesday in connection with two investigations into graft and "supporting terror," a move that the main opposition party slammed as a politically-motivated "coup."

Imamoglu is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, and his detention came just days before he was to be named the candidate of the main opposition party, CHP, in the 2028 presidential election.

Widely seen as the strongest challenger to Erdogan, Imamoglu has been targeted by a growing number of what critics say are spurious legal investigations.

Hundreds of police joined the pre-dawn raid on his home, Imamoglu said on X, with the government saying his detention was linked to a corruption probe and another for "helping a terror organization."

Shortly afterward, Turkey briefly blocked access to social networks, with police fanning out around City Hall and closing off Taksim Square, banning all protests for four days.

"What has happened is an attempted coup," railed CHP leader Ozgur Ozel in a speech at City Hall.

"Ekrem Imamoglu's freedom to be a candidate is not being taken away, it is this nation's freedom to elect him that is being taken away."

His words were echoed by the mayor's wife, Dr Dilek Kaya İmamoglu.

"This is a targeted political operation aimed at eliminating Turkey's future president. This is a direct blow to the nation, and we will fight," she vowed.

AFP